Martin Stuart Wilder

Martin Stuart Wilder, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away Friday, October 6, 2017 at his home in Sarasota, FL. A celebration of life service will be held at 10:00 am, Tuesday, October 10 at Toale Brothers Gulf Gate Chapel, 6903 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Madrikha Betty Pelletz will be officiating. Donations in his memory may be made to the National Kidney Foundation, Finance Dept., 30 East 33rd St., New York, NY 10016 or to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126. Martin was born May 20, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York to Isador and Gussie (Esner) Wilder. He received his B.S. from Brooklyn College in 1960 and his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1966. He spent two years as a National Academy of Sciences Postdoctoral Research Associate in Ft. Detrick, Frederick, MD, and moved to Amherst, MA in 1968 where he joined the Department of Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts. Martin had a passion for education and lifelong learning. He taught multiple undergraduate and graduate-level courses, led graduate programs, was an editor and reviewer for various journals and developed new programs to strengthen the Department. He retired in 1993 as Professor Emeritus and relocated to Sarasota shortly thereafter where he enjoyed reading, watching movies, and spending time with his family. Martin was young at heart, generous and loyal. He delighted in spending time with his grandkids, who brought out the child in him. He always advocated for his children, instilled in them a love for learning, and taught them that they could do anything they set their minds to, a legacy that will live on. Martin is survived by his wife Anna, son Kenneth (daughter in-law Sandra Hurtado Rúa), daughters Esther Isabelle (son in-law Saam Trivedi) and Elizabeth (son in-law Ian Mould), and his beloved grandchildren Tara, Sarah, Rachel, Nathanael, Abigail and Amelia. He is also survived by his sister Edythe Erdman (brother in-law Robert Erdman) and brother Ira Wilder (sister in-law Jo Wilder) and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Isador and Gussie, and his first wife, Teresa McGhee.

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Martin Stuart Wilder

October 6, 2017